Music / Jazz
The week in jazz – April 18-24
OK! Bristol music lovers, you have a chance to make amends (and be ripely rewarded for your efforts) when PrestonGlasgowLowe come to Future Inn this week (Thursday 21). The last time this powerhouse contemporary fusion trio came to town they blew away a tiny audience at the Bebop Club with a display of mind-boggling virtuosity on guitar, bass and drums that surely deserved a bigger crowd. 6-string bassist Kevin Glasgow’s double-handed fret tapping was particularly impressive in combining technique and musicality but all three are riveting to watch and sales of their just-released debut album will no doubt reflect this.
And hopefully this week’s Bebop Club guests the Davide Logiri & Ben Thomas Quartet will get the crowd they deserve, too, since pianist Logiri has come all the way from Milan to hook up with UK trumpeter (and regular Bebop guest) Thomas for some free flowing modern jazz. He might have shared a Eurostar trip with French keyboard player Laurent Coulondre whose trio head to the Hen & Chicken (Sunday 24) as part of their second UK visit thanks to links with local sax player Julien Alenda.
Combining stylish piano ballads and hot Hammond organ Coulondre is a big name around the European festival scene, a claim that can also fairly be made for local hero Andy Sheppard who is guaranteed to pack out The Fringe (Wednesday 20) with his Hotel Bristol quartet. While the saxophonist himself is always worth catching, the versatile Percy Pursglove’s combination of trumpet and double bass skills is an equally compelling crowd pleaser.
The highly productive Kevin Figes will be at the Alma Tavern (Sunday 24) with his quartet, no doubt showcasing the excellent Weather Warning CD, recently released alongside his Octet album Time Being. Both as a sax-player and composer Kevin continues to develop fresh ideas, something that can also be said of Loop Collective tenor player Sam Crockatt to judge by this year’s Mells Bells CD release. His quartet (including Kit Downes, James Maddren & Ben Reynolds) are playing over in Bath at Burdall’s Yard (Friday 22) – not so far now the trains are running again.
But safely back in the BS postcode area you can catch classic New Orleans piano boogie with Professor NoHair & The Wiglifters (Canteen, Tuesday 19), stylish post-swing from Bartoune (Canteen, Thursday 21), the upbeat sax and guitar-led grooves of Jazz Reggae Sessions (No 1 Harbourside, Friday 22) and Conjunto Gringo (Old Market Assembly, Saturday 23) – trumpeter Andy Hague’s all-star collective (above) who make authentic sounding Cuban salsa with plenty of jazz style.
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